It had nearly been a full calendar year since J.K. Dobbins played an NFL game until last Sunday. It had been even longer since the 25-year-old was able to fully display his running talent.
Dobbins, coming off an Achilles tear he suffered in Week 1 of last season, returned with 135 rushing yards and a touchdown in his debut with the Los Angeles Chargers. His performance included 46- and 61-yard runs in the second half, which powered the Bolts to a 22-10 victory over the Raiders after a slow start.
It was the second-most rushing yards Dobbins had ever produced in a game, but the fifth-year veteran felt his return could've been even better.
"I think I can be way better, you know?" Dobbins told reporters Friday. "We'll see. If I get those long runs again, I’m going to take it to the crib.”
Dobbins was five yards away from the end zone before getting caught by Raiders cornerback Nate Hobbs from behind on the 46-yarder, a draw play ran up the gut on a third-and-1. Dobbins petered out at the end of his 61-yard gallop, but the long play was essential late in the fourth quarter, leading the Chargers into the red zone and allowing them to add a touchdown to the 6-point lead they secured on his 12-yard TD run earlier in the frame.
Dobbins' 135 rushing yards are the second-most by a Chargers RB in the Justin Herbert era (since 2020), according to NFL Research. It was only the fifth game since 2020 a Chargers player recorded 100-plus rushing yards, the other four coming from Austin Ekeler.
The Chargers signed Dobbins to a one-year deal as part of L.A.'s effort to revamp the backfield for head coach Jim Harbaugh's first season. On Sunday he split carries with Gus Edwards (11 attempts, 26 yards), another Raven-turned-Charger signing this offseason, staying true to the RB usage strategy offensive coordinator Greg Roman declared before the season.
In the end, Dobbins had the hottest hand, gaining 135 yards on just 10 attempts. Harbaugh came away impressed by the veteran's endearing performance.
“There’s not too many things that are more impressive than when you see somebody that has a season-ending injury, then comes back and is up to that same standard and maybe even a little better," Harbaugh said. "And he did the work with a smile on his face."
Perhaps bothered by the long gains that didn't end in pay dirt, Dobbins said he's been preparing for his follow-up game by focusing on his conditioning this week. He has a chance at producing back-to-back 100-plus yard games for just the second time in his career, and become the first Charger to accomplish that feat since Melvin Gordon did it in 2016.
With the first game of his comeback season now behind him, Dobbins is looking toward improving his individual effort in order to enhance L.A.'s new beginning.
"We got a lot of room to improve," Dobbins said. "We didn't start out good -- had some bonehead mistakes, had some penalties, some false starts -- we just got to focus up. Great teams, they don't get it until they get it. You see it, and it's like, 'Oh, wow, that teams look scary.' But you can see we have that. We have the tools, we have the talent. We just have to put it all together, and once we put it all together, it's going to be good to see."
The Chargers are on the road to face the Carolina Panthers on Sunday (1 p.m. ET).